It always feels special when franchisesget to cross over.Marvel’s superheroes took onStreet Fighter. Mario challenged Sonic at the Olympics. ThenTekken, Resident Evil, Yakuza, Sakura Wars, Ace Attorney, Fire Emblem,and more all blended together inProject X Zone 2. Just in caseSuper Smash Bros’different mixes sounded tame.
Related:Best Crossovers of 2022
However, all these crossovers are the result of long boardroom talks between one company and another. Everything has to be above board and agreed to. Anything can interrupt the process, be it cold feet, a rival deal, or a sharp-eyed lawyer finding someone trying to pull a fast one. These and other reasons are whythese crossovers almost happenedbut ultimately disappeared.
9Capcom Vs SNK 3
Maybe it’s because the two companies have exchanged plenty of staff over the years, but Capcom and SNK are much chummier with each other nowadays.Street Fighter 5charactersmanaged to appear inKing of Fighters: All Star, and they exchanged congratulatory artwork at Evo 2022. But that wasn’t always the case. After the success ofCapcom Vs SNK 2, Capcom was ready to make a new entry in 3D.
The problem was that SNK had severe money troubles in 2001, and Capcom’s crossover deal wasn’t enough to get them out of the red. If anything, Capcom asking them forCvS3was like someone asking their recently evicted friend for a favor. Instead, the reformed SNK Playmore would makeSNK Vs Capcom Chaosin 2003 to mixed reception.
8Capcom Fighting All-Stars
SNK’s fall would be Capcom’s gain, as they’d reworkCvS3’s assetsintoCapcom Fighting All-Stars, where different characters from the company dueled it out with each other. It was headed by formerKOFdirector Toyohisa Tanabe and a brace of ex-SNK staff. The SNK influence was noticeable, with its directional inputs, and a big story involving the “Code Holders” DD, Luke (not that one), and Ingrid trying to save Metro City from a terrorist attack.
It managed to have location tests, where the feedback wasn’t good. This combined with strained relations between Tanabe and Capcom led to the project’s cancelation. No one save the involved parties knows how tense things got, but considering its successorCapcom Fighting Evolutionhad to scour through their old 2D games for sprites instead of usingAll-Stars' assets suggests at least some lingering acrimony.
7Mega Man Universe
It would only get worse for Capcom by the end of the decade. WhileStreet Fighter 4caught on, their attempts to appeal to the West directly with theBionic Commandoreboot andSpyborgsdidn’t live up to expectations. Then there were their projects based on their mega-mascot Mega Man: the long-awaitedMega Man Legends 3, and a 2.5D platformer calledMega Man Universe.
Related:Best Capcom Crossover Games, Ranked
It would’ve allowed players to create their own levels a laLittleBigPlanet, and customize their own Mega Man. They could play as a Western-looking Mega Man, the original Japanese Rockman, and Bad Box Art Mega Man, alongside Ryu fromStreet Fighter, Arthur fromGhosts n’ Goblins, and a range of DLC. Unfortunately, onceMega Manhead Keiji Inafune left Capcom, both projectswere canceled, leaving the franchise adrift for the best part of a decade.
6Fire Emblem X Pokemon
Technically, the worlds ofFire EmblemandPokemonhave clashed with each other sinceSuper Smash Bros Meleewhen Marth and Roy made theirSmashdebut. But around 2011, Nintendo director Kaori Ando felt the two franchises were compatible enough as RPGs, and could’ve resulted in a fun game. It would’ve been a joint venture between the Big N and Atlus.
Unfortunately, the Pokemon Company had already decided to collaborate with Koei-Tecmo to makePokemon Conquest, their crossover with theNobunaga’s Ambitionseries. Atlus had their own troubles at the time too, delaying openings for other projects. After two years, they had an opening for their own proposal:Fire Emblem X Shin Megami Tensei. This would become 2015’sTokyo Mirage Sessions #FE.
5Mario X Rabbids
Okay, this did actually happen. Just not in the way it was originally envisioned.Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battleunited the Italian plumber and his friends with Ubisoft’s lagomorphs in a turn-based strategy game. It played quite well and gained a sequel in late 2022 withMario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope. But it was originally going to be a self-aware platform game for the Wii.
Mario would have to save the Princess, Toads, and Bowser alike from the bonkers bunnies as they invaded the entirety of the Mushroom Kingdom. However, despite Ubisoft commissioning artwork for a pitch to Nintendo, they weren’t listening. The company would have to wait until 2014 for them to say yes to what would becomeKingdom Battleinstead.
4Marvel Vs Nintendo
Maybe Nintendo cooled off the idea of crossovers during the Wii era because of Activision’s own unfortunate pitch for a crossover. When they were makingMarvel: Ultimate Alliance, they thought it would be cool ifLegend of Zelda’s Link andMetroid’s Samus Aran appeared as playable characters in the Wii port.
Related:Why Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 4 Needs to Happen
It wouldn’t usually be out of the question, as the two appeared in other non-Nintendo gameslikeSoulCalibur 2andMonster Hunter 4 Ultimate. The developers pitched the idea to Nintendo via a demo of the two in action. Unfortunately, they made it with the PS2 version. Demonstration or not, this was enough to anger Nintendo into denying Activision’s request and demanding Link and Samus’ immediate removal.
3Marvel Vs DC (& Mortal Kombat)
Marvelhad better luck working with Capcom back in the day, though they weren’t limited to the Osaka-based company. They managed to have a few discussions with NetherRealm Studios across 2021-2022, leading to rumors that they were working on a fighting game based on theWorld War Hulkstoryline. Then, since NetherRealm is owned by Warner Bros, fans hoped it would lead toaMarvel Vs DCgame.
This hypothetical game might’ve even had guests from theMortal Kombatseries, since theInjusticegames found room for Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and Raiden. Whatever was discussed between the two hasn’t seemed to have borne fruit, with the company now working onMortal Kombat 1. Then again, given howInjustice 2managed to pit DC off against Hellboy and the Ninja Turtles, it may be too early to rule anything out just yet.
2Street Fighter Vs Mortal Kombat
As far as dream crossovers go,Street Fighter Vs Mortal Kombatwould be one of the biggest. The two games kept the arcades going throughout the early 1990s and fueled the console war between the SNES and Genesis.MKco-creator Ed Boon even asked Capcom to allow anSFcharacter intoMK, citing Ryu as his dream guest character.
FormerSFproducer Yoshinori Ono confirmed this pitch happened, and that it was rejected. According to him, there were many Capcom executives who felt the series wasn’t a good fit for their characters.MKis much bigger in the West than in the East, with Japan banningMortal Kombat 11for its gore. So, fans are unfortunately more likely to see aStreet Fighter X Tekken 2thanSF vs MK.
1Tekken X Angry Birds & Colonel Sanders
Speaking ofTekken, the series has fallen in love with guest characters in the past few years. What became a dalliance withTekken 3’s Gon became a who’s-who of famous figures inTekken 7.SF’s Akuma,Final Fantasy 15’s Noctis,Fatal Fury’s Geese Howard, andThe Walking Dead’s Negan all managed to lay their hands, feet, and weapons on Jin, Kazuya, Paul, Nina, and co. As strange as they are, It could’ve been stranger.
On director/producer Katsuhiro Harada’s podcast, the man himself brought up a meeting where both the Angry Birds and KFC’s Colonel Sanders were pitched as guest characters. Harada got as far as getting in touch with the fast-food company but had no luck. In an interview with Xiaomist, Harada still hoped Sanders would make it in one day, and that he’d addCall of Duty’s Captain Price, Deadpool,and John Wickto the series if it were possible.
